Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty was conferred with India’s third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan, by President Droupadi Murmu on Monday.
Mithun Chakraborty received the prestigious award in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Home Minister Amit Shah, among others at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.
Fondly called ‘Mithun Da’ by his fans, the actor made his debut in films with Mrigayaa in 1976, and since then he has been entertaining audiences with his versatile acting skills.
Mithun’s portrayal of a Santhal rebel earned him the National Film Award for Best Actor in his first film. Later, he won two more National Film Awards for his roles in Tahader Katha (1992) and Swami Vivekananda (1998).
In his decades-long career, Mithun Da also created a name for himself by featuring in chartbuster dance tracks including ‘I Am a Disco Dancer’ (Disco Dancer), ‘Jimmy Jimmy (Disco Dancer)’ and ‘Super Dancer (Dance Dance)’.
Most recently he was seen in Vivek Agnihotri’s movie The Kashmir Files.
The Padma Awards, which were instituted in 1954, are one of the highest civilian honours of India and are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. The awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order), and Padma Shri (distinguished service). The award seeks to recognise achievements in all fields of activities or disciplines where an element of public service is involved.
The Padma Awards are conferred on the recommendations made by the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted by the Prime Minister every year. The Padma Awards Committee is headed by the Cabinet Secretary and includes the Home Secretary, Secretary to the President, and four to six eminent persons as members. The recommendations of the committee are submitted to the Prime Minister and the President of India for approval.
